A few hours before Hillary Clinton addressed an audience of around 6,000 people near Denver , the former secretary of state did what few people looking to sell a book would do : She toured a plastics factory .

Clinton aides say the event was tied to her family 's foundation -- the Clinton Global Initiative -- and the fact that its annual meeting will be held in Denver later this month .

But the optics of the event said something different .

After touring the factory and giving short remarks about the power of American business -- `` I am convinced that American businesses can compete and win against anybody anywhere if we are at the top of our game , '' she said -- Clinton stepped off the stage and headed to a rope line of eager factory workers and camera-toting employees .

`` Let me shake a few more hands , '' Clinton said , a comment reminiscent of refrains made by Iowa - or New Hampshire-bound politicians .

In the last month , these two facts have been evident : Clinton-land wants you to know she has a memoir -- `` Hard Choices '' -- coming out on June 10 and she has become more open about her presidential ambitions .

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And the two have a lot to do with one another .

Instead of surrounding herself with the regular PR flacks and publicists in preparation to sell her book , Clinton has brought on seasoned campaign veterans and political communicators . Sources close to Clinton are talking about `` war rooms '' and `` surrogate operations '' instead of book signings .

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`` This is a very well orchestrated roll out that is going to make the book have far more impact and , yes , will add to her sense of candidacy , '' said David Gergen , a senior political analyst with CNN who has deep connections with the Clintons . `` I think what you will see with her over the next year until she makes a firm decision is an occasional set of events like this that will keep her fresh , allow her to say her piece . ''

' A very professional operation '

In addition to helping Clinton , the hypothetical candidate , Gergen said the book rollout will help her staff .

`` It gives them a sense of what a political campaign feels like , '' he said . `` I do n't think she has made her final call yet , but she is clearly laying the groundwork in a way that suggests a very professional operation . ''

Earlier this year , the former senator was also more measured in her remarks and more sheepish when answering questions about 2016 .

In January , Clinton told an audience in New Orleans that she `` was n't thinking about '' running and that she has `` tried to get other people not to think about it . ''

In Portland , she shrugged when asked about 2016 and walked off stage to a chorus of laughs . In Miami , she commended the way the question was asked , but failed to actually answer it .

Fast-forward to June and Clinton was more openly talking about the worst-kept-secret in Washington : She is thinking about running for president .

In an interview with People Magazine that was part of the book rollout , Clinton said she knows she has `` a decision to make '' on 2016 and that she will `` just have to make my own decision about what I think is right for me . ''

In her Colorado speech on Monday -- the one after her campaign style tour of the plastics plant -- Clinton called the presidency `` as much a job as it is a mission '' and when asked about how difficult it is to run , she remarked that she `` luckily '' has `` a lot of resilience and a lot of stamina . ''

Her rhetoric , too , has started to sound more like a campaign .

At the end of the speech in Colorado on Monday , Clinton closed with what sounded like an impassioned plea for support and , if the venue was different , for votes .

`` Please join me , '' she said , her voice raising over the roaring crowd , `` in making some hard choices for America . ''

Seasoned hands help communicate message

With the stepped up rhetoric has come a more robust inner circle of Clinton aides to tightly and systematically trickle out information about the book .

Once an operation with just a few press staff and advisers - along with dozens of informal friends and longtime confidants - the Clinton world has added a few seasoned political hands to help communicate Clinton 's message around the book .

The Clinton team brought on Tommy Vietor , a National Security Council spokesman during Obama 's first term , to coordinate and assist in the response to the book and questions about Clinton 's record at the State Department .

It has also tapped Kiki McLean , a former Clinton senior adviser and veteran of five presidential campaigns , to coordinate the surrogate operation around the book .

With the new hires comes what one source called a war room of former diplomats who stand ready to respond to criticism of Clinton 's tenure at the State Department .

It is safe to say that Clinton 's book roll out is one of the first to use phrases like war room and surrogate operation .

One of Clinton 's closest advisers - Philippe Reines - also briefed a group of Democratic national security experts and communicators last week on the political scrutiny over the Benghazi terror attack and the themes of Clinton 's book .

The meeting was tightly controlled by Clinton 's advisers , who told attendees that there would be no leaking what was discussed in the briefing .

Outside groups have also begun to step up their activity around the book .

Correct the Record , a pro-Clinton messaging and rapid response organization with deep ties to Clinton , hosted media training for their surrogates in May .

Ready for Hillary , a pro-Clinton super PAC that is building grassroots support for the former first lady , announced on Wednesday that they would follow Clinton 's book tour in `` The Hillary Bus , '' a mobile venue for the group to sign up supporters and support the pseudo-campaign .

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Leaks and excerpts trickle out

As her aides have been planning and preparing , Clinton has been all over the news . She appeared on the View in May - joking that she was `` running ... around the park '' -- and details about her book have slowly leaked out on a nearly daily basis .

The first book excerpts came out in early May , when in honor of Mother 's Day Vogue published a passage of Clinton 's book that was dedicated to her mother . Then came the book 's Author 's Note , put out by Simon & Schuster , the book 's publisher .

Shortly after that , the most highly anticipated chapter of Clinton 's book - her recollections and thoughts about Benghazi - was leaked to Politico . The speculation was that Clinton 's staff wanted to get the news out of the way early so that it would n't shadow the rest of the book .

On Thursday , CBS reported that Clinton talks about negotiations for captured soldier Bowe Bergdahl 's release and her differences with Obama over arming Syrian rebels in the book , which it said it had gotten a copy of .

Along the way , locations for Clinton 's book tour were released : New York City , Chicago , Washington , D.C. , Los Angeles and San Francisco , to name a few .

If all of this seems reminiscent of a campaign , that 's because it is . Seasoned staff , effective surrogate operations and coordinated leaks are what can make or break a political campaign .

And as is evident with Clinton 's stepped up presence and the slow trickle of news about her campaign , Clinton 's book tour appears to be as much a memoir roll out as it is political tune up .

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Clinton events look like something from the campaign trail

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She 's become more open about her presidential ambitions , although no decision yet

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Rollout of her book will help her staff prepare for if she decides to go for it